To Alaska and Beyond! Updated 4/28 x 3 and it's COMPLETE!! - Page 13 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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The scenery looks AMAZING! I wanna go to Alaska!!! I'm glad you got to see whales on the excursion. That's what I'd be worried about the whole time had a booked such an excursion. Can't wait to see more of Alaska in your TR!
How exciting! I wonder how common it is to get a sighting of a large group like that. Whenever I've seen whales off the Maine coast the feeling of awe has stayed with me for a long time.
I am enjoying your trip report! We were on the same cruise, actually! I agree that Mike (Tom Green) was HILARIOUS. We really enjoyed him as the cruise director. We only used our Crown & Anchor coupons for the internet minutes as well..... The rest were useless. They're usesless on this ship at least; we use the Johnny Rockets coupons on the bigger ships!
Looking forward to reading the rest of your TR... it's interesting to see someone else's experience on the same cruise!
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MVC Owner - HHI, Myrtle Beach, Branson, Orlando
DVC Owner - VWL
Yearly trips (or more!) to Orlando since 2007
WDW Resorts: BLT, SSR, WL, POR, CBR
8 cruises on Royal Caribbean, 2 on DCL
Last edited by SevenWonkas; 07-29-2009 at 05:00 PM..
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I am enjoying your trip report! We were on the same cruise, actually! I agree that Mike (Tom Green) was HILARIOUS. We really enjoyed him as the cruise director. We only used our Crown & Anchor coupons for the internet minutes as well..... The rest were useless. They're usesless on this ship at least; we use the Johnny Rockets coupons on the bigger ships!
How totally cool! It seems like I saw many of the same people- I wonder if you were one of them????
In regards to that liqueur Kevan bought and how we got it home... stay tuned... and don't mention it to Kevan- it's kinda a touchy subject....
Seven Wonkas- I posting here again in case you don't catch my reply- I am wondering if you were one of the many fellow cruise passengers I saw over and over.. what deck were you guys on?
And now, whale watching continued..
We were still on the top deck for some time and our naturalist began discussing gams. Gams this, Gams that. I guess she didn't realize she needed to explain herself a little more- when someone yelled out, "What's a gam?" She apologized and then told us it's a group of humpbacks traveling together. Interestingly, they are typically solitary animals and do not travel in families, like orcas. They simply gather together to feed. So, Kevan was right by me and I swear, sometimes 15 years of marriage really scares me- because we get the exact same thoughts. In our large mental bank of Seinfeld isms- we looked at each other and said.. "Gammy!" ( Elaine gets an old grandmother's phone number after she dies- and the grandson keeps calling and asking for his Gammy.) So at least by our accounts, anytime there was a group of whales- there goes Gammy.
They rotated another group up to the top deck and we were banished to our previous spots. Luck was on our side again because as soon as we got positioned at the back of the boat, the gam (gammy!) turned and headed straight for our boat- in an exciting way, not like a Jaws way.
I must also add our naturalist had a fancy for tail flukes. Every time one would appear she would yell out- fluuuuuuuuke! And by about the 10th time, everyone else was doing it too. Here's a good shot of a fluuuuuuke!
The whales kept going and going and passed right under us but we hardly felt anything. It was awesome- and I must say, they didn't do that for any of the small, private charters I am sure many of our fellow passengers paid more for.
We watched the gam go off into the horizon and it was kind of sad, like they were saying goodbye.
We did spot a smaller group about 10 minutes later, closer to the shoreline.
The captain then advised everyone it was time to turn around and you could hear a collective groan. It was awe-inspiring indeed. I had hoped for orcas, even though those chances were slim- but was thrilled for the amazing opportunity we had with the humpbacks. (And little did we know at that time, our experiences with our ocean friends were far from over..)
Matt got a pic of me inside the cabin on the way back to Icy Strait Point.
It was a nice ride back to the port and the concession girls had made salmon spread and crackers to pass around to everyone. Blech- not for me but Kevan and Aaron really liked it. We also bought a few drinks to have while we made our way back to the dock.
When we got there, I was amazed to see people just arriving off tenders- and half the day was already gone! Now on the agenda would be some shopping, visiting the Cannery shops and some lunch.
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Before I continue with this post, let me explain a few things about Icy Strait Point. In Icy Strait Point is the Tlingit village of Hoonah. We did not venture into Hoonah because of lack of time but several people did and said it was exactly what they expected- a very tiny village with a few residents. The Cannery area is targeted to tourists of the cruise ships. This stop on Alaskan itineraries is a fairly recent addition- the first ship to visit was the Celebrity Mercury back in 2004.
After getting off the whale watch, we decided to whip out the iPhones and see if we were on network- which we were, so we called home- it was soooo good to talk to the other kiddos and MIL- everyone was doing fine, including Connor, who babbled to me for quite sometime.
Our first stop was inside the Cannery, which dates back to 1953 and was exactly that for many years, a cannery of fish products and such. It's been beautifully restored into a neat collection of small shops.
The prices weren't cheap but they weren't real high either, about what I would have expected. Aaron picked up an ISP t shirt for $20 and Matt found a new addition to join the family- a stuffed black bear. UGH! More stuffed animals, but as I gave him the once over- I started to really be impressed- he was extremely well made, cute and cuddly. It was Matt's spending money, so who was I to complain? So $30 later, our extended family includes a stuffed penguin, stuffed polar bear- and as of this moment, a black bear. I do love the name Matt came up with- Hoonah- it fit so perfectly, and a great reminder of our vist.
Matt's at the counter, right side with Hoonah.
Here's another bear we came across...
After we made our way through the Cannery shops, we all were curious to see the zipline- which is the world's longest, at least they tell us, at this time. There was a boardwalk type path to the zipline and I was surprised, there were private residences all along the pathway.
The views as we walked were spectacular!
We considered this but I wasn't sure any of us wanted our first time to do one to be on such a record breaking one. It was fun to watch though- there weren't many people who weren't shrieking as they came down.
There were two restaurants as we walked but the prices and selection of food was awful. One restaurant served nachos and hot dogs- and the nachos were $13 and a hot dog was $6! We decided to turn around and head back out, to eat on the ship instead.
Again, as we made our way back towards the dock, the views were breathtaking!
Coming Up Next: If you would like to conquer a fear of crustaceans, Alaska is an ideal place to do that....
How totally cool! It seems like I saw many of the same people- I wonder if you were one of them????
I saw the same people all the time too! Well, maybe that was because we travelled with 11 other members of my family... haha. But really, I know what you mean; I saw the couple that got married on the ship all the time. They were on the Love & Marriage Game Show, and then I seemed to see them all over!
We were in 9604.... the rest of my family was on either the 8th or 9th deck, all on the starboard (right) side with us. We did first seating in the dining room, so I don't think we would have seen each other there either! I'll have to continue reading your TR to see if we were on any of the same excursions/activities!
__________________
MVC Owner - HHI, Myrtle Beach, Branson, Orlando
DVC Owner - VWL
Yearly trips (or more!) to Orlando since 2007
WDW Resorts: BLT, SSR, WL, POR, CBR
8 cruises on Royal Caribbean, 2 on DCL
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I'm glad you got to see whales on the excursion. That's what I'd be worried about the whole time had a booked such an excursion. Can't wait to see more of Alaska in your TR!
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that's what i thought too. And how then do you get it home? Pack it in your checked luggage?
Well, it was a thought... 
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
But really, I know what you mean; I saw the couple that got married on the ship all the time. They were on the Love & Marriage Game Show, and then I seemed to see them all over!
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